From the Pastor’s Desk | May 6, 2018

In recent weeks, I’ve come across a fascinating idea in the world of environmental and ecological conservation called “rewilding.” This is the practice of reintroducing plant or animal species to an ecosystem and allowing nature to run its course. Two examples have stood out to me as especially instructive. In the mid-1990s, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park where they had a rapid, positive impact on the ecosystem (more on this here: https://bit.ly/2JHVVMg). Another example is the Knepp Castle Estate in England, a large tract of land that had been intensively farmed for many years, exhausting the soil and resulting in virtually no profits. They stopped cultivating crops and grazing dairy cows and instead allowed nature to run its course, while also introducing certain animals whose behaviors would be similar to those animals who once inhabited the land but are now extinct or rare. The result was a flourishing biodiversity, healthy free-range cattle, and an aid to scientific understanding of various plant and animal life.

Rewilding is, in some ways, artificial. The results do not magically take us back in time to the way things once were, but rather are new examples of how things can be. Reintroducing species previously lost or similar to lost species allows for a renewed understanding of how creation works and an honest assessment of how our past behavior has impacted the world. In some ways, rewilding is counterintuitive. Wolves are major predators, so why would introducing them into an ecosystem be a good idea? Wouldn’t they kill everything? The answer, of course, is no. The reintroduction of wolves brought balance and allowed everything to flourish in ways that were unexpected. Allowing farmland to become overgrown at first seems irresponsible. But the land was not bearing fruit, was over-grazed, and had become unhealthy. Steps needed to be taken to fix the problem.

I believe that rewilding can be an instructive metaphor for interpreting our own present culture. Think, for example, of the move to organic foods and the improved health many people experience by pursuing a more natural diet. Think of the hipster trend and the growing popularity of handmade crafts, foods, and other products. Think of the renewed interest many young people have in understanding their ethnic culture and history, and even of the sometimes-exaggerated objections to cultural appropriation. These are all expressions of rewilding: a desire to reintroduce, recover, or understand something that was lost, resulting in the creation of something similar to what once was that is positive in its newness and beauty.

In the Church, we have an opportunity to apply the metaphor of rewilding, as well. In many places it is already happening as, for example, with the growing devotion, especially among young people, to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, the old Latin Mass. For many young Catholics, there is a feeling that a part of their heritage was shelved, and they desire to reintroduce it, not for the purpose of going back in time, but for the sake of bringing history into the present day.

The metaphor of rewilding can be applied to religious formation. For years and years, we cultivated the same fields in the same way (i.e. religious education/CCD programs) and over time the soil was exhausted and bore less fruit (e.g. declining practice of the Catholic faith with each passing generation). We have an opportunity to reintroduce the most essential elements of our Catholic faith and to recover something lost. There was a time in the life of the Church when people young and old together sought out catechesis in a voluntary way. With the passage of time, that practice became somewhat rigidly confined to school-age children going through a set program. It now seems counterintuitive to approach catechesis any other way, but the truth is that we have reached a critical point. We can no longer farm the way we did. It is time to try something new. This is why the invitation to a reimagined Faith Formation at St. Pius X is so important to me and to our staff. Rewilding can be a challenging and even scary process. But when we take down the barriers and stop fearing the worst, our hearts can be open to the wildness of God who loves without limit and who desires always to reconcile our history with our present, that we might face the future standing on the rock of Christ, remaining in His love, walking in the full power of the Holy Spirit.

Peace,

Fr. Sam

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As we re-enter the season of Ordinary Time, the Church gives us three great solemnities that are instructive for our prayer and devotional lives. First, we celebrate today the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Second, next Sunday we will celebrate the solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. This feast, traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, will also be marked here at St. Pius by a solemn high Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Thursday, May 31. Third, the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the Friday after Corpus Christi (June 8). These great liturgical celebrations help us reflect on the true nature of Ordinary Time.

In the Community of Jerusalem, a French monastic community, the season of Ordinary Time is referred to as “the time of the Church.” In the weeks following Pentecost, the monks and nuns of this community understand that the mission carried out by the Apostles on that first Pentecost is also entrusted to the Church all through history. Today is the season of the Church and we are to make known the powerful love of the God who is one God in three Divine Persons, the God who feeds His people with His very Body and Blood, the Trinity at whose center beats a human heart.

In our reflection on the Blessed Trinity, we are reminded that the eternal love of God is pure act, that is, it is never confined to one space, time, or individual, but is rather eternally poured out. This eternal self-gift is poured out, not only within the relations of the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, but also on all of creation. This eternal self-gift is poured out in a special way on those who have been baptized by the pouring of water and the invocation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By extension, those who have been brought into this eternal love are also sent, in order that this Divine power may be continue to be shared in time.

Thus, we are in the time of the Church. We who are members of the Church, recipients of the eternal outpouring of Divine love, are sent, as the Gospel reminds us, to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that [Jesus] commanded…” Therefore, as I have said many times, there is nothing “ordinary” about this time. Rather, all who have been baptized are swept up into this divine action. We are part of the mission. Today we return to the source – our eyes, hearts, and minds are fixed on the Blessed Trinity, the very source of the love that saves the world. It is the power of the Blessed Trinity at work not only in God Himself, but also in each of us, that vivifies and sanctifies the world. This is the time in which the Church, fully alive, is charged with that great commission to make disciples in the name of the Blessed Trinity.

Peace,

Fr. Sam

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Come, Holy Spirit! Today the Church throughout the world calls out to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity as we celebrate the great feast of Pentecost, the day on which the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles gathered in the upper room with the Blessed Virgin Mary, inspiring them to speak the truth of the Gospel in many tongues. On this day, the Church is born into her missionary role. And so this feast is a day for us to once again cry out for the Holy Spirit to fall upon us and make us faithful missionaries in the world.

In the Jewish calendar, the feast of Pentecost celebrated the end of the wheat harvest. Fifty days after the sheaf of barley was offered during Passover, the wheat—the last of the cereal crops to mature—was harvested. Marking Pentecost was a joyful occasion. Some Jewish scholarly authorities referred to the time between Passover and Pentecost as the “courting days of the bridegroom of Israel with the bride Torah.” We are now concluding our own observance of the time between Passover and Pentecost— the time between the Passion of Jesus, the bridegroom of the Church, offered in sacrifice just as the Passover lamb was offered in sacrifice, his Resurrection and appearances to the Apostles. This has been a season of the bridegroom courting the bride. Jesus has again and again come to the Apostles, reassuring them, teaching them, demonstrating his love. Now with the feast of Pentecost, Jesus sends them out to proclaim the Gospel, just as the “bride Torah” proclaimed God’s holy word to the Israelites.

We have heard Jesus say that the harvest is ripe and to pray for laborers for the harvest. Pentecost, the feast of the ripened wheat, reminds us that the harvest is ready. The Holy Spirit sends the Apostles out to labor for the harvest. On that first day, they baptize three thousand! Truly the harvest is ripe and ready! This joyful occasion, though, is not some isolated moment in history. Rather, the Holy Spirit sends us out as well to labor for the joy of the harvest. You and I are sent to proclaim the Gospel as the Apostles did; you and I are sent to continue the courtship of Christ the Bridegroom with his bride the Church.

Today then, I ask you: how is the Holy Spirit calling you? How does the Lord want to work in and through you to bring the Gospel to the world? The Church is born at that first Catholic Pentecost, but today is no mere birthday party. Today is a renewal of vows, a reminder of the promise made by the Bridegroom to us, his bride the Church. The response of the bride is one of love. We are called to join with Jesus in proclaiming the Good News. How is the Holy Spirit calling you to carry out your missionary role in the world? Come, Holy Spirit!

Peace,

Fr. Sam

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In these days between the liturgical celebrations of the Ascension and Pentecost, the Church invites us to join the Apostles in the very first novena—nine days of prayer asking for the Holy Spirit to come upon us and guide us in all that we do. The Gospel we read this weekend gives us an insight into the profound prayer of Jesus. His prayer is that we would be consecrated in truth. To be consecrated means to be set apart, made holy. To be consecrated in truth means to be made holy by the word of God—the Scriptures we read and follow—and made holy by the Word of God (made flesh)—Jesus Christ Himself.

A friend of mine recently shared these words: “Not every Christian doctrine is palatable to everyone. But palatability or taste is not what Jesus was going for. He is the way, the truth, and the life whether you like it or not.” It’s a somewhat cheeky way of reminding us that the truth of the Gospel does not change based on my opinion. Rather, Jesus is who he is and the Gospel is what it is, and sometimes that will challenge us to think, speak, or act differently. The beauty of the truth of the Gospel, the truth of Jesus, ought to transform our outlook on life. Not only that, but when we are struck by the thought that the Gospel is not palatable, we might want to consider expanding our palate, rather than changing the flavor being offered.

Jesus prays that we would be consecrated in truth. It is not uncommon for people to think that some aspect of the truth of the Gospel is not palatable and so they reject it outright. This can lead to the oft-decried “cafeteria Catholicism” wherein people pick and choose the things they think they want. More serious, though, is the reality that this approach to the Catholic faith leaves many things untried, untasted, and unused – thus, the rejection of what is not at first palatable actually becomes a deprivation of the full experience of God’s grace, love, and truth. G.K. Chesterton said it best: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.”

Our Lord has prayed for us, that we would be consecrated in truth. He has prayed that we would live the Gospel in its fullness. And not only has he prayed, he sends us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth, to keep us in truth, to protect us, to teach us, to help us through even those moments of confusion, crisis, or challenge. In these novena days, let us ask the Holy Spirit to expand our hearts and minds, to help us embrace the truth of the Gospel, that we might faithfully serve and follow the one who has the words of everlasting life, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.

Peace,

Fr. Sam

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In recent weeks, I’ve come across a fascinating idea in the world of environmental and ecological conservation called “rewilding.” This is the practice of reintroducing plant or animal species to an ecosystem and allowing nature to run its course. Two examples have stood out to me as especially instructive. In the mid-1990s, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park where they had a rapid, positive impact on the ecosystem (more on this here: https://bit.ly/2JHVVMg). Another example is the Knepp Castle Estate in England, a large tract of land that had been intensively farmed for many years, exhausting the soil and resulting in virtually no profits. They stopped cultivating crops and grazing dairy cows and instead allowed nature to run its course, while also introducing certain animals whose behaviors would be similar to those animals who once inhabited the land but are now extinct or rare. The result was a flourishing biodiversity, healthy free-range cattle, and an aid to scientific understanding of various plant and animal life.

Rewilding is, in some ways, artificial. The results do not magically take us back in time to the way things once were, but rather are new examples of how things can be. Reintroducing species previously lost or similar to lost species allows for a renewed understanding of how creation works and an honest assessment of how our past behavior has impacted the world. In some ways, rewilding is counterintuitive. Wolves are major predators, so why would introducing them into an ecosystem be a good idea? Wouldn’t they kill everything? The answer, of course, is no. The reintroduction of wolves brought balance and allowed everything to flourish in ways that were unexpected. Allowing farmland to become overgrown at first seems irresponsible. But the land was not bearing fruit, was over-grazed, and had become unhealthy. Steps needed to be taken to fix the problem.

I believe that rewilding can be an instructive metaphor for interpreting our own present culture. Think, for example, of the move to organic foods and the improved health many people experience by pursuing a more natural diet. Think of the hipster trend and the growing popularity of handmade crafts, foods, and other products. Think of the renewed interest many young people have in understanding their ethnic culture and history, and even of the sometimes-exaggerated objections to cultural appropriation. These are all expressions of rewilding: a desire to reintroduce, recover, or understand something that was lost, resulting in the creation of something similar to what once was that is positive in its newness and beauty.

In the Church, we have an opportunity to apply the metaphor of rewilding, as well. In many places it is already happening as, for example, with the growing devotion, especially among young people, to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, the old Latin Mass. For many young Catholics, there is a feeling that a part of their heritage was shelved, and they desire to reintroduce it, not for the purpose of going back in time, but for the sake of bringing history into the present day.

The metaphor of rewilding can be applied to religious formation. For years and years, we cultivated the same fields in the same way (i.e. religious education/CCD programs) and over time the soil was exhausted and bore less fruit (e.g. declining practice of the Catholic faith with each passing generation). We have an opportunity to reintroduce the most essential elements of our Catholic faith and to recover something lost. There was a time in the life of the Church when people young and old together sought out catechesis in a voluntary way. With the passage of time, that practice became somewhat rigidly confined to school-age children going through a set program. It now seems counterintuitive to approach catechesis any other way, but the truth is that we have reached a critical point. We can no longer farm the way we did. It is time to try something new. This is why the invitation to a reimagined Faith Formation at St. Pius X is so important to me and to our staff. Rewilding can be a challenging and even scary process. But when we take down the barriers and stop fearing the worst, our hearts can be open to the wildness of God who loves without limit and who desires always to reconcile our history with our present, that we might face the future standing on the rock of Christ, remaining in His love, walking in the full power of the Holy Spirit.

Peace,

Fr. Sam

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